Patients suffering with heart failure are more likely to die if they have high levels of a bone hormone called osteoprotegerin (OPG), according to researchers at the Akershus University Hospital, the University of Oslo in Norway, and colleagues in Italy and Denmark.
Previous research has speculated that the OPG hormone, which is thought to prevent the loss of bone tissue, might be linked to heart failure. Professor Torbjørn Omland, University of Oslo, said: “Studies using mice have demonstrated that reduction in OPG levels can lead to the development of osteoporosis, but also cause calcification of the major blood vessels. The results showed that patients with the highest 1/3 levels of OPG were twice as likely to die during follow-up, than the patients with the lowest 1/3 levels of OPG.
